AbstractBrazil nut, the Bertholletia excelsa seed, is one of the most important non-timber forest products inthe Amazon Forest and the livelihoods of thousands of traditional Amazonian families depend onits commercialization. B. excelsa has been frequently cited as an indicator of anthropogenicforests and there is strong evidence that past human management has significantly contributed toits present distribution across the Amazon, suggesting that low levels of harvesting may play apositive role in B. excelsa recruitment. Here, we evaluate the effects of Brazil nut harvesting bythe Kayapó Indigenous people of southeastern Amazonia on seedling recruitment in 20 B. excelsagroves subjected to different harvesting intensities, and investigated if management by harvestersinfluences patterns of B. excelsa distribution. The number of years of low-intensity Brazil nutharvesting by the Kayapó over the past two decades was positively related to B. excelsa seedlingdensity in groves. One of the mechanisms behind the higher seedling density in harvested sitesseems to be seed dispersal by harvesters along trails. The Kayapó also intentionally plant B.excelsa seeds and seedlings across their territories. Our results show not only that low-intensityBrazil nut harvesting by the Kayapó people does not reduce recruitment of seedlings, but thatharvesting and/or associated activities conducted by traditional harvesters may benefit B. excelsabeyond grove borders. Our study supports the hypothesis that B. excelsa dispersal throughout theAmazon was, at least in part, influenced by indigenous groups, and strongly suggests that currenthuman management contributes to the maintenance and formation of B. excelsa groves. Wesuggest that changes in Brazil nut management practices by traditional people to preventharvesting impacts may be unnecessary and even counterproductive in many areas, and shouldbe carefully evaluated before implementation.

AbstractAlthough high rates of anthropogenic mortality are often reported for carnivores near reserveborders, the resulting edge effects are rarely quantified, and the consequences on conservationgoals are usually unknown. Here, we assess the extent and impact of edge effects on a protectedleopard Panthera pardus population in the Phinda-Mkhuze Complex (PMC), South Africa. Wecompared the spatial and demographic characteristics of leopards in two areas of the PMC, onecloser to the border than the other. Leopard density declined from the core of the reserve (11.11 ±1.31 leopards 100 km−2) to the border (7.17 ± 1.12 leopards 100 km−2), and was the lowest in non-protected areas adjoining the PMC (2.49 ± 0.87 leopards 100 km−2), but was not related to preyabundance or interspecific competition. Radiotelemetry showed that leopards near the borderspent a greater proportion of their time outside the reserve and suffered higher annual mortalityrates (0.358 ± 0.075) than those closer to the core (0.122 ± 0.065). A Cox proportional hazardsmodel further demonstrated the negative effect of time spent outside the reserve on the survivalprobability of leopards. Despite an increased risk of mortality, leopards did not avoid non-protected areas, which may have functioned as an ecological trap for predators. Although theoverall conservation outcome of the reserve was positive, edge effects clearly weakened thepotential of the PMC to protect leopards. Our findings show that high mortality rates of carnivoresin areas bordering reserves can extend to protected populations. Management approaches thatcontrol human activities on both sides of administrative borders are therefore essential if reservesare to conserve large carnivores effectively.